In using thermocouples for measuring temperatures, one frequently runs into limits of material load capacity with regard to temperature and application atmosphere. In using thermocouples for a temperature range up to 1500° C. based on PtRh/Pt elements, in extended use above 1000° C., there frequently appears a drift in the thermoelectric voltage, and simultaneously, a considerable deterioration of the mechanical properties on account of creep processes. In particular, during contact with carbon in such thermocouples, often metal carbides will form, which change the Seebeck coefficient and the mechanical properties of the thermocouple. In addition, PtRh/Pt thermocouples are very expensive to produce, and therefore not usable in certain applications.
It is an object of the present invention to make available a thermoelectric component that may be applied, e.g., as a thermocouple, and which may permit making a precise temperature measurement even in ranges of durably high temperatures and/or transient temperature loads, as well as in oxidizing and also reducing gas atmospheres.